BADMINTON/Taiwan shuttlers Lee, Yang bag men's doubles title at German Open

Taipei, March 4 (CNA) Taiwanese badminton players Lee Jhe-huei (李哲輝) and Yang Po-hsuan (楊博軒) bested their Chinese opponents to clinch the men's doubles title at the Yonex German Open on Sunday.

It took Lee and Yang 60 minutes to defeat Ren Xiangyu (任翔宇) and He Jiting (何濟霆) 15-21, 23-21, 23-21 at the Westenergie Sporthalle arena in Mulheim.

In the opener, the players on both teams put up a tough fight, leveling the score at 7-7 at one point, but Ren and He pulled ahead to seal the game.

In the second game, Lee and Yang took a comfortable 14-6 lead, but a series of unforced errors allowed Ren and He to close the gap and tie the score at 18-18. Lee and Yang, however, quashed their opponent's rally and inched past them to win the second game 23-21.

The Chinese players took an early lead in the third game, but the Taiwanese duo fought back hard, and secured a 23-21 win, closing out the match with a victory.

It was Lee and Yang's first tournament title this season and their fourth championship win as a pair, with the last one being the Korea Masters in 2023. They will next compete in the Yonex French Open, March 5-10.

The German Open, a Badminton World Federation Super 300 tournament, carries a total cash prize of US$210,000.